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Elderly woman selling baking goods outside and an elderly woman with glasses.
Uplifting News

Grandma Forced to Sell Homemade Goods To Get By - Then, a Stranger Walks Up to Her

Every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday without fail, Inez Hudson can be found stationed outside Super Choice Foods supermarket in Lakeland, Florida.The 73-year-old woman sells homemade pies and cakes to support herself as her fixed income isn't enough to cover her living expenses.She has her good days and bad days. That is, until now. Because thanks to the kindness of a stranger and the power of social media she just became a viral sensation. And now? Her baked goods are selling like hotcakes.

A puffin sweater, a woman wearing a puffin sweater and a man's reply on X (inset)
Uplifting News

Woman Shares One of Her Biggest Regrets in Life Online - A Stranger Just Fixed It

No one makes it through life without regrets. It is an unfortunate by-product of being human. And while we learn to live with them, it can be hard to let them go.But luckily for one woman, there's one regret that no longer haunts her. And it's all thanks to the kindness of a stranger halfway across the world.

Elderly woman looking shocked and a stranger speaking to a 75-year-old woman with glasses.
Uplifting News

Homeless 75-Year-Old Gives Her Food To a Stranger - So, He Completely Changes Her Life

For the past nine years, 75-year-old Linda Witt-King has been living on the streets of Costa Mesa, California. But that all changed with one chance encounter...and now, thanks to her simple act of kindness and the power of social media, she has a place she can finally call HOME.

Woman taking a picture with her father outside and a screenshot of a father's text.
Uplifting News

Dad Witnesses His Daughter Get Dumped - So He Tells Her to "Be the Bull"

The end of a relationship is rarely easy, especially when you're not the one doing the ending. When college student Fallon Thompson recently "got dumped" she was understandably heartbroken. But lucky for her, there IS one person she can always depend on...her dad. And he was right there to pick up the pieces of her broken heart with words of wisdom that have gone viral. Because they're THAT GOOD.

A young interracial couple and an interracial couple holding a photograph
Stories

Couple Marries 10 Years After Interracial Marriage Becomes Legal — Now They’re Goals

When Mike and Jeralyn Wirtz wed more than four decades ago in Virginia, interracial marriage had only been legal for 10 years. Fast forward to today, and their love story is inspiring a new generation thanks to the couple’s active participation in social media.

An elderly couple, a man on the football field and a signed jersey (inset)
Stories

Dying Woman Has One Last Wish - And Her "Young Boyfriend" Fulfills It

It’s always hard to lose a loved one, but sometimes the kindness of others and the power of community can really help to make a grieving person feel less alone. That was definitely the case for this family when the kindness of strangers helped them make their mom’s final wish come true.

Woman Explains Why Catch-Up Friendships Can Destroy Real Connection And How to Avoid the Trap
Uplifting News

Woman Explains Why Catch-Up Friendships Can Destroy Real Connection And How to Avoid the Trap

*Featured image contains photo by Andrea Piacquadio and Elina FairytaleWe've all heard the saying that the older we are, the smaller our circle gets...but this may not be for the reason we think. Social pattern expert Bianca Stelian, believes it's not just a matter of growing apart — but the way that we "catch up" when we're together.Have you found yourself stuck in the friendship rut? With no way to get out? If you woke up one day only to realize most of your meaningful relationships have stumbled into "no man's land," don't worry, you're not alone and this is for you.What Is a “Catch Up Friendship”Often growing up means getting closer to our dreams, but it doesn't come without sacrifice. Time is the precious thing we never have enough of. So, when it comes to seeing our old friends for our bi-annual "dinner and drinks," why don't we spend it wisely?“Every time you talk, you must start the conversation with many life updates. You have to hit every category: family, work, dating, social life, health, you get it. And before you know it, you’ve essentially spent 45 minutes interviewing each other like you’re on a reality show without really breaking past the surface.”Bianca Stelian, TikTokIn essence, a "catch up friendship" is a series of sporadic surface level connections that make old friends feel they're slowly drifting further instead of drawing closer. Two people ramble on about all the "big picture" moments in their life: They got engaged? Must have missed that on Facebook. They are working a completely different job? Thought they hated corporate culture. Their dear mother's fallen ill? Make sure to send flowers.And while yes, all these big moments are so important, they are not the sum total of the person we know and love. Somehow, after a rapid fire tennis match of "life updates" over 3 rounds (of cocktails), we end up going home, disheartened — feeling like we never even scratched the surface with how they are really doing. And sadly, they never quite got to to the heart of us either. We mistakenly chalk it up to being "different people."If this sounds familiar, check out the viral video below to hear the vicious cycle in her own words.Watch Bianca Stelian's Video: Does Growing Up Mean Your Friendships Are Fake?Of course not. The older you get, the more you have to plan in advance. Gone are the easy college days, where all your friends lived in a five block radius of each other. When you would waste the hours away grabbing coffee, watching a movie, or just studying near each other in silence.One day you wake up, and you're not a kid anymore. But that doesn't mean life isn't really good. Maybe you have the job you always wanted, or the partner you always dreamed of, or even just the best couch in the whole world to watch your favorite TV shows on. But in the famous words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast." And more often than not, all the extra time we used to spend with our friends is redirected to work or our family — sometimes we forget to stop and take a look around for the people who've been there since Day 1.One Simple Way to Break This “Nasty” CycleThe reality is, if we try and solve our "catch up friendship problems" by trying to schedule more frequent catch ups, we will be disappointed. Because it's not sustainable. You can't live a full adult life and still have the free time of a kid!According to Bianca Stelian, the best solution is to use social media to your benefit."Start posting your everyday little thoughts and life updates. It’s a wildly efficient way to reach a lot of people with a little bit of effort.” Bianca Stelian, TikTokIf knowing all the little things about a person is what a relationship is made up of — then share yours with your friends! "The posts don't have to be anything life changing," Stelian shares, "the smaller the better."Is “Growing Apart” a Myth About Growing Up?It's hard to say. When life gets so hectic, our instinct is to act from self preservation. You can't quit your job, you can't quit your kids, and you already got a divorce. So...looks like the friend who let you cheat off them for 4 years has gotta go! You didn't like her anyway...I mean come on, she let you cheat — that's a bad moral compass! It's easy to cut off lots of connections growing up, under the excuse that "we're in different places" or "we're different people." Suddenly, your high school bestie who nursed you through 8 back-to-back heartbreaks while you did a love spell on a poster of Aaron Carter, is just not the kind of person who want to be associated with!Now, sometimes it really is true. We grow up and we clash too much with people we used to laugh until we cried with. Take Derf McDerf for example! The author of My Friend Dahmer. Understandably, he wouldn't be too keen to schedule a friendship catchup via the Columbia Correctional Institution hotline.But it's not always the case. Ultimately, only you can decide what friendships to let go and which ones to nurture — neither are easy, but both are rewarding.More from Goalcast:Her Daughter Excluded Her Best Friend for Being “Too Fat” – Shocked Mom Takes Matters Into Her Own HandsWoman Who Lost Her Entire Family Waits for a Friend – But Someone She Wasn’t Expecting at All Shows Up InsteadMan Meets Up With Struggling Family at a Park – They’re Shocked to See His “Friend” Standing Behind Them

Womans Childhood Classmate Used to Pack Her Lunch - Years Later, Does Something Incredible to Honor Her
Uplifting News

Womans Childhood Classmate Used to Pack Her Lunch - Years Later, Does Something Incredible to Honor Her

*Featured image contains photo by olia danilevich and Oleksandr PAnyone who has ever experienced food insecurity knows that it never really leaves you. Those hunger pangs, even when they're long gone, linger, a phantom reminder of darker days.When Haley was in third grade, she knew those pangs well. Her family was struggling and there was never enough to eat. One of her classmates noticed and would pack an extra lunch for her. Her name was Gracie May.Although the two classmates lost touch after fourth grade, Haley never forgot her. Years later, Haley had a daughter...she named her "Gracelyn Marie" in honor of that little girl.How a Young Girl Made a Lasting ImpressionIn a TikTok video that is shattering hearts everywhere, Haley (@bby_hxxii) shares an emotional 7-second clip she simply captions "Angels are real."Set to the haunting lyrics, "I think of you all the time," from Alex Olsen's song, Someday I'll Get It, the video zooms in on Haley as she blows a kiss.“To that sweet girl in 3rd grade that would bring in an extra lunch box with food just for me, thank you so much. I named my daughter after you," Haley writes in the text overlay.Welp. It may be simple but boy, does it pack a punch. One commenter summed it up in 8 words:"'I named my daughter after you' I'm sobbing."The video has struck a nerve. In just a few days it's gone viral with over 2.8 million views, 630,000 likes, and more than 4800 comments.Its message has resonated with people all over the globe, a poignant reminder of the profound impact of kindness.Reaction to the Viral TikTokThousands of people took to the comment section, touched by Gracie's actions and the way Haley chose to honor her."Love how you honored her," wrote one commenter."Her mama was looking out for you," said another. "I hope she sees this. kindness always comes back," said a third.But in addition to all of the love, it also started a tsunami of goodness. People began sharing their own stories, hundreds of them. And if these doesn't restore your faith in humanity, nothing will.Here are just a few:"I had the same bday as one of my classmates and every year her mom did a big party in the classroom for her and my name would always be on the cake too." — Britney"When I was in 7th grade, a popular girl (never talked to her) heard that my mom couldn't afford Christmas for me that year. Her & her mom went Christmas shopping for me and brought me gifts to school. I will never forget that. I think of it often and hope she's well." — Ambria"My son noticed a quiet kid in his class w holes in his shoes/clothes. He came to school the next day w clothes he didn’t want. - the boy wears his new outfits daily & my son says he tells jokes now." — Alli"I remember a teacher that would call me to class before going home to give me 4 cans of raviolis for me and my 3 siblings. I never told her but she knew." — neener-neen"The boy that danced with me at the primary school dance when no else would ~ who passed away a few years later from cancer. Always in my heart." — Clarel892"My mom named me after the first friend she made when she moved to America." — L"I used to hate my smile until one girl told me she loved my side dimples. every time I smile I think of her to this day because she made me appreciate it instead of hating it." — Ana NjeriOne Small Act of Kindness Can Change Someone’s WorldAfter grade four, Haley moved from Texas to Arizona. It's been 13 years since she's seen Gracie but not a day goes by that she doesn't think about her. THAT is the power of kindness.To Gracie, it was probably just lunch. To Haley, it was the world. And she never forgot it. And now, neither will her daughter."To live rent free in someone's head for an act of kindness is something we should all strive for."More from Goalcast:Child Realizes Hungry Classmates Don’t Have Lunch – So He Makes an Unexpected Request to His Mom“Homeless” Man Insists on Paying for an Expensive Lunch at Restaurant – So the Server Tells Him a LieMom Has Perfect Response to Teacher Who Called Her Son’s Lunches ‘Disgusting’ – Then She Receives a Shocking Email

Man Pressured to Leave Overweight Girlfriend So He Did What He Should Have Done a Long Time Ago
Uplifting News

Man Pressured to Leave Overweight Girlfriend So He Did What He Should Have Done a Long Time Ago

After sharing a sweet anniversary post with the world, teenagers Emily Phillips and her high school sweetheart, Aidan Harrison, were harassed online for the worst reason. Over the course of two years, Phillips had put on a "significant" amount of weight. The comments called her "too fat." Thousands of strangers urged her boyfriend to "leave her."They Said Her Weight Gain Was “Disrespecting” Her Man@emphillipx/TikTokWhen Phillips posted a sweet "time jump" anniversary carousel for her friends and family, she had no idea the post would go viral — and the horrific backlash they would receive. Phillips innocently shared a photo from their first date titled "Day 1." Next to it, she posted a recent photo titled, "Day 884." "I'm so happy to experience a love like ours, and know what love is," she captioned the post. In both photos it's clear the couple are very in love. They are holding each other and smiling big — but that's not what the rest of the world saw.Instead, they saw a confident woman, comfortable in her skin at any size — and they wanted to tear her down. The comments were sexist, cruel, and endless. Many of the comments were written by men (probably without girlfriends) writing about how unworthy of love this beautiful, young, woman was, simply because of her weight. One Twitter user — who we can only assume is a men's rights activist — went on to write, "This is why you need to be on top of everything as a man to ensure that things such as this do not happen." Some Twitter users speculated that perhaps Phillips was pregnant. Implying that this alone would justify her weight gain — that a woman is only exempt from having the "perfect" body, if she is with child. It's impossible as a woman, to look through the hateful comments Phillips received, and not have your blood boil.How This Boyfriend Graciously Put an End to the “Lies” Her TikTok had a snowball effect. Overnight, her post gained over 30k comments (and we'd advise against looking through them). While some of the comments encouraged the couple to "ignore the hate," most of the comments were devastating, calling the 18-year-old Phillips all kinds of awful names that we have chosen not to share with our readers.While we can only imagine how many tears Phillips must have shed behind closed doors, her devoted boyfriend Harrison, put the haters in their place in the simplest way. Harrison knew if he responded to each mean comment individually, it would only add fuel to the fire. After all, these mean spirited comments are written with the express purpose of hurting the feelings of those reading it.So instead, he posted this — and it was perfect."We're happy and that's all that matters. I love you sweetheart," he wrote.Young Woman Embodied True Confidence and It’s Inspiring Unfortunately, cyberbullying is a very real consequence of living in the digital age. Without even intending to, we have never been more accessible to thousands and thousands of people we've never even met. The good news is, we have seen the wide reach of the internet be used for good.The bad news is, we have also seen it used to spread hate. Emily Phillips's story is the perfect example of how damaging cyber bulling can be. But thankfully, her story doesn't end there. She chose to have an ever bigger impact, by not doing this one thing.Instead of removing her post, or turning off the comments, Phillips would not allow her haters to get the best of her. She left her post up — hateful comments and all. What happened next was even more incredible. Eventually women and men from all over chose to support this couple. They reminded her she was beautiful. They reminded her love wins. Emily Phillips refused to hide her body in shame — and hopefully her strength inspired others to do the same.It's easy to be a back seat driver. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," friends will dismissively advise. But when you're the target of hate, it takes a whole different kind of strength to withstand it.She took a heartbreaking situation and used it to uplift others. Shockingly, Emily Phillips is paving the way for women who struggle with self-esteem issues, one hateful comment at a time.More from Goalcast:Her Daughter Excluded Her Best Friend for Being “Too Fat” – Shocked Mom Takes Matters Into Her Own HandsWoman Goes to the Gym to Work Out – Breaks Down When She Hears These Startling Words From a ‘Hardcore’ Gym BroPlus Size Man and His Size 8 Wife Receive Rude Comments From Haters – Come Up With the Perfect Idea to Silence Them

Man Meets Up With Struggling Family at a Park - Theyre Shocked to See His Friend Standing Behind Them
Uplifting News

Man Meets Up With Struggling Family at a Park - Theyre Shocked to See His Friend Standing Behind Them

Losing someone you love is never easy. In grief, the best thing many of us can do is find a purpose in our loss and honor the person who is no longer with us. In that way, we create meaning in our lives and, hopefully, make a difference.Two parents who lost their child to cancer are determined to do exactly that. What they weren’t expecting, though, was a visit from one of the biggest celebrities in the world to help them do it.A Devastating LossEsperanza and Edwin are in mourning after losing their daughter, Lily Rose, to cancer in August 2023. But as they approach the year anniversary of her death, they’re finding solace in creating the Live for Lily Rose Foundation, a foundation dedicated to helping other children like her.The goal of the foundation is to turn devastation into comfort and joy for other families, thus extending the light that Lily had as far and wide as possible. It isn’t an easy journey, but it’s an important one that means a lot to the family.Isaiah Garza, a social media influencer whose purpose is to help others and do good, spent time with Lily Rose before she passed and knew the family well. When he learned they were putting their plans for a foundation into action, he called up a buddy for help: The Rock.In a video shared on Garza’s YouTube page, he met with the couple at a park and explained he had a friend who wanted to help them. “My friend wants to meet you guys. I told him your story, and I know it’s been a tough journey,” he explained before asking them to turn around. When they saw who was there, they were shocked.A Hidden ConnectionEsperanza began sobbing when she saw The Rock (a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson) standing there. Moana was one of Lily Rose’s favorite movies, and she particularly loved Maui. Johnson, of course, voiced Maui in the 2016 Disney film.“[Sometimes we] turn it on just to hear the music and to feel her… oh my God I’m in shock,” she said.“One of the last videos I have of my baby is singing that song with her,” Edwin added.“I’m so honored to meet you guys and I… our daughter is going to turn eight in about a month,” Johnson said. “Isaiah told me your story and I’m so sorry. I know what Lily Rose meant to you guys. It’s so heartbreaking, but there was something out of it that was really inspiring,” he continued, referencing the foundation.He then handed the grieving parents a check for $50,000. “She and I always talked about helping kids, and as she was passing, I made a promise to help kiddos in her name,” a tearful Esperanza said. “When she passed I said, ‘I have to do it. I have to do it.’ And we did.”Making a DifferenceThe parents couldn’t believe Johnson's generosity and promised that his contribution would make a big difference. Edwin added that he knew Johnson had been blessed and thanked him for giving back. He explained that’s what they want to do in Lily Rose’s memory now.“We were forced into a world that we knew nothing about. This monster, which is cancer tried to take her from us,” he choked out through tears. “And she fought and fought, and she lived another three beautiful years. I don’t know man, just thank you. That money’s going to go a long way to help a lot of kids,” he continued.“We’re going to help these kids because we lived it. We know it… we know that feeling as a parent. We really do want to help these families because these memories are all we have left.”Finding a PurposeIt’s impossible to watch the exchange without tearing up. Even The Rock was wiping away tears after meeting these beautiful parents who are doing everything they can to assign purpose and meaning to their daughter’s life. Lily Rose was taken too soon, but they will never, ever forget her.It’s such a powerful reminder to all of us who have experienced loss that by finding our own purpose and following the light, we, too, can take steps to heal. Grief is an awful beast that comes in waves and when you least expect it. Sometimes, the best way to deal with that is to know that the person you're grieving is with you in spirit.The pain never truly goes away, but by focusing on the positive and leaning into the good, we can somehow find healing and a way to carry on.More from Goalcast:How Vanessa Laine Bryant And Her Children Are Doing After Kobe Bryant’s DeathFallen Police Officer Leaves Eight Children Behind – 13 of His Colleagues Then Show Up at His 8-Year-Old Daughter’s Home'The Rock’ Surprises Man Who Took Him In When He Was Homeless With A $30K Truck